Shoe and foot cleaning apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a shoe and foot cleaning apparatus. The apparatus includes a mounting unit for installing the apparatus into the ground and an internal frame. Positioned onto the internal frame is a collection plate, a rotational drive system, a motor. The plurality of brush pads are removably positioned along the rotational drive system, and can travel along the path of the drive system. A portion of the brush pads can extend through a plurality of slots positioned at the top of the apparatus in order to clean the shoe and foot of a user.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus forremoving foreign objects from the feet and shoes of a user.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many known types of portable and stationary devices forcleaning shoes and feet. Several of these devices are disclosed in U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,532,618; 6,912,752; 6,067,688; 2,533,781; and 2,985,159.Typically, these devices are large bulky objects that may include aninternal vacuum and one or more brushes for interacting with the shoe ofa user.

In each of the above cases, however, the vacuum, collection plate and/oradditional components are located above ground and are thus exposed tothe elements. Such a configuration results in excess noise and pooraesthetic value which significantly reduces the desirability of theseproducts in the home and marketplace. Moreover, due to the somewhatfragile nature of the exposed components, these devices can not bepermanently installed in outdoor environments for fear of vandalism. Assuch, a significant amount of potential users are automaticallyeliminated.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a compact and highlyefficient shoe and foot cleaning apparatus capable of curing thedeficiencies described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a shoe and foot cleaning apparatus.One embodiment of the present invention can include a mounting unit, andan internal frame having a collection plate, a rotational drive system,a motor and plurality of brush pads positioned along the rotationaldrive system. The drive system can rotate the brush pads along apredetermined path in which a portion of the brush pads extend through aplurality of slots in order to clean the shoe and foot of a user.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include an access unitfor allowing the frame and all internal components to be rotated aboutthe mounting unit in order to allow access to the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should beappreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precisearrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shoe and foot cleaning apparatus that isuseful for understanding the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 a is a cutout of the motor and drive system connection point ofthe shoe and foot cleaning apparatus according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a stand alone view of the drive system according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates another stand alone view of the drive systemaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a brush pad for use in oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the shoe and foot cleaning apparatusaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of the shoe and foot cleaningapparatus in operation.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of shoe and foot cleaningapparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features ofthe invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that theinvention will be better understood from a consideration of thedescription in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailedembodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, itis to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplaryof the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and asa representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriatelydetailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are notintended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandabledescription of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of shoe and foot cleaning apparatus 10in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown,apparatus 10 can include a mounting box 11, and an internal frame 12,onto which a removable collection plate 13, a motor 14, a drive system20, a plurality of brush pads 40, and a protective cover 50 are secured.

The mounting box 11 can include a cavernous rectangular area into whichthe frame 12 and other components can be secured. As such, the mountingbox 11 acts to allow the device to be installed below ground level toprotect the internal components against the elements. To this end, andas will be explained in greater detail below, only the protective cover50 remains visible to a user.

In one alternate embodiment, the mounting box 11 can also include anoptional drain unit 11 a for removing moisture from the device. Such afeature is useful in outdoor environments where rain or moisture ispresent. As such, in instances where the apparatus 10 is installedoutdoors (i.e., along the front door of a building, for example) thedrain can remove any water that is present in order to ensure continuousoperation of the apparatus.

As used herein, a drain unit 11 a can include a standard gravity drainwhich feeds water into the ground or sewer, or may include a pump systemfor actively removing moisture. Such systems being well known in theart, no further description will be provided herein.

The internal frame 12 acts as an integrated structure for securing thevarious components in place. Positioned at the bottom of the internalframe is the removable collection plate 13 which acts to contain anydebris and dirt that is collected by the system. Collection plate 13 canbe installed on a rail or within grooves of the frame and can be removedfrom the apparatus for easy cleaning.

In one preferred embodiment, each of the mounting box 11, the internalframe 12, and the removable collection plate 13 can be constructed fromsteel or aluminum components joined together via welds or compressionfittings. Of course, other known materials and methods may also beutilized.

The motor 14 acts to provide the rotational force to run the apparatus.As such, in one embodiment, motor 14 can be secured to the side of theframe 12 and connected to the drive system 20 via reduction gear 14 aillustrated in cutout FIG. 1 a. The motor 14 can be operated via aconventional on/off switch or via any known pressure switch. To thisend, when a user steps on the top portion of the apparatus, the pressureswitch can activate the motor. In one preferred embodiment, the motor 14can include a conventional 110 volt electrical ¼ horsepower motor,however other size motors and positional arrangements are alsocontemplated.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a stand alone view of the drive systemaccording to one embodiment. Although described below as utilizing aspecific number of sprockets and connection units, one of skill in theart will recognize that additional components and additional positionalarrangements can be utilized without departing from the scope of theinvention.

The drive system 20 acts to transfer the rotational force of the motor14 to the brush pads. Accordingly, the drive system 20 can include apair of leading sprockets 21 a and a pair of trailing sprockets 21 bsecured together via an integrated connection rod 22. As shown, one sideof the leading sprocket 21 a can be connected to the reduction gear 14 aof the motor via a drive belt/chain 23.

Additionally, both the leading and trailing sprockets can be connectedvia connection units 30. As shown, connection units 30 can act toconnect the leading and trailing sprockets on each side of the apparatustogether such that all four sprockets will rotate in unison. Moreover,as illustrated in FIG. 3, the connection units 30 can also provide anattachment point for the brush pads 40.

In one preferred embodiment each connection unit 30 can include a beltor chain 31 and a plurality of evenly spaced brackets 32 attachedthereto, however other similar components are also contemplated. In thisregard, individual brush pads 40 can be secured to each connection unit30 and can move/rotate (see arrow A) along the path of the sprocketswhen activated by the motor 14.

By traveling along a uniform path, the brush pads 40 can interact withthe shoe and foot of a user in a uniform and controlled manner whichprovides a more thorough cleaning as opposed to simply rotating inplace.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a brush pad 40. As shown, brush pad40 can include an elongated rectangular member 41 having a plurality ofholes 42 with bristles 43 extending therefrom. Additionally, brush pad40 can include hardware 44 for connecting to the brackets 32 of theconnection unit as described above.

In one preferred embodiment, the elongated member can comprise a wood orhard plastic base and the plurality of bristles can include elongatedstrands of plastic or fabric material, however, other materials are alsocontemplated.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the apparatus 10. As shown, the top ofthe apparatus can include a protective cover 50 and a plurality of slots51. The protective cover 50 can act to shield the motor and otherinternal components, while the slots 51 can be positioned to allow thebristles of the brush pads 40 to extend upward in order to make contactwith the feet and/or shoes of a user. In this regard, the slots 51 canbe positioned along the path of the brush pads 40 so as to not impedethe movement of the bristles.

In one preferred embodiment, the protective cover can be constructedfrom stainless steel and the bristles of the brush pads can extend from¼ to 2 inches above the slots. Of course the bristles can be adjusted toextend to virtually any length desired, and materials other thanstainless steel can also be utilized.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of the shoe and foot cleaningapparatus 10 in operation. As shown, when a user steps on the slots 51,the motor 14 can engage the drive system 20, thus causing the pluralityof brush pads 40 to move along the path of the slots 51 in a directionindicated by arrow B. To this end, as the bristles 43 make contact withthe foot of the user debris and dirt can be collected and dropped downinto the collection plate 13.

FIG. 7 illustrates one alternate embodiment of the apparatus 10 thatfurther includes one or more rotating joints 70 and an optional lock 71.As shown, the rotating joint 70 can be interposed between the mountingbox 11 and the internal frame 12. To this end, rotating joints 70 canallow the internal frame and all connected components to rotate upwardsafter the device has been installed into the ground. Such a featureallows easy access for cleaning the collection plate and inspecting theinternal components.

Rotating joints 70 can include, for example, conventional hinges with alocking mechanism, or may include lift assist components such ashydraulic pistons/cylinder and spring actuated hinges among other knowncomponents.

Lock 71 can include any known device for securing the frame inside themounting box. Such a feature can allow the device to be installed inlocations that are not monitored without fear of vandalism to theinternal components.

Accordingly, a shoe and foot cleaning apparatus as described hereinprovides a compact integrated unit with superior cleaning ability. Byexposing only a small portion of the device above ground, the apparatusoffers greater noise reduction, increased aesthetic value and protectsagainst adverse environmental conditions and vandalism.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

1. A shoe and foot cleaning apparatus comprising: a mounting unitconfigured to be secured into an opening of a floor; a frame configuredto be secured to the mounting unit; a collection plate configured tocollect debris, said collection plate being positioned along a bottom ofthe frame; a rotational drive system; a motor configured to propel therotational drive system; and a plurality of removable brush padspositioned along the rotational drive system, each of said brush padsincluding a hardened base and a multitude of bristles extendingtherefrom, wherein said rotational drive system is configured to conveythe plurality of brush pads along a predetermined path.
 2. The shoe andfoot cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a coverconnected to a top portion of the frame, said cover including aplurality of elongated slots positioned above the brush pads, whereineach of said elongated slots are oriented in a direction parallel withthe predetermined path, and a portion of the multitude of bristlesextends through each of the elongated slots.
 3. The shoe and footcleaning apparatus of claim 2, wherein a portion of said cover does notinclude a plurality of elongated slots, said portion approximating asize of the motor.
 4. The shoe and foot cleaning apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: a pressure switch configured to activate the motorwhen a pressure is applied thereto.
 5. The shoe and foot cleaningapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: an access unit configured torotate a portion of the frame out of the mounting unit.
 6. The shoe andfoot cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein said access unit includes atleast one of a hinge, a hydraulic cylinder and a spring.
 7. The shoe andfoot cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein said access unit isconfigured to allow a user to access the collection plate.
 8. The shoeand foot cleaning apparatus of claim 5, further comprising: a lock forpreventing the access unit from being utilized.
 9. The shoe and footcleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a drain unitconfigured to remove moisture.
 10. The shoe and foot cleaning apparatusof claim 9, wherein said drain unit is positioned along a periphery ofthe mounting unit.
 11. The shoe and foot cleaning apparatus of claim 10,wherein said drain unit includes a pump configured to forcibly removemoisture.